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Connected car model gives us a glimpse of the automobiles of the future
Your dream car is (choose one): A.) A bumper-to-bumper candy-color paint-job, ostrich seats and 22-inch chrome rims. B.) One with everything connected cars can offer, such as in-car 4G LTE and WiFi. If you chose B, then you have to see the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association's connected car demo. In addition to having an internet connection, it also features wireless charging capability, 360-degree proximity sensors, as well as (we're saving the best for last here) gesture control and anti-drunk driving technology. We assume the car has an onboard breathalyzer of some sort, as you wouldn't even be able to start it if you've had one too many.
Relish drops the landline to offer 'fibre-fast' broadband without the hassle
UK broadband is in a state of flux. Fixed-line providers like BT and Virgin are expanding their services to deliver super-fast broadband into homes. Elsewhere, operators including EE, Vodafone and Three are cementing their mobile backbone to meet the UK public's insatiable thirst for data over the airwaves instead. A small number of companies have tried to find the middle ground, the space where broadband and mobile networks meet, but none have ultimately succeeded. A new service called Relish wants to change that, and it believes it has the credentials to win where others haven't.
$20 FreedomPop 'Unlimited Everything' plan includes 1GB of Sprint LTE, limits
FreedomPop's been signing up customers with the promise of free mobile phone service since last year, but once you're hooked, you'll need to shell out a bit of dough to keep things going. The basic plan, which does in fact come with a $0.00 monthly fee, gets you 200 minutes, 500 text messages and 500 megs of data. Once you reach those caps, you'll pay one cent per minute or 2.5 cents per MB, or you can step up to the new "Unlimited Everything" plan, which will run you $20 monthly for all-you-can-eat voice, text messages and data, with a catch: You'll only get 1GB of LTE, after which you'll drop down to Sprint's 3G network. Assuming you'll consume that gig of data in far less than 30 days, FreedomPop's four LTE smartphones, including three from Samsung and Apple's iPhone 5, may not be the best fit. Still, $20 is a relative steal for unlimited smartphone service, and if you can live with 3G speeds after that first gig is up, FreedomPop's ready to start saving you cash.
Vodafone's gift of Netflix takes the edge off its 4G plans
If deciding which mobile operator to go with hinges more on watching House of Cards than on price or coverage, then Vodafone's latest entertainment offer could be worth a look. In addition to its Sky Sports and Spotify entertainment packs, the carrier today threw TV and movie streaming into the mix by bundling a six-month Netflix subscription when you sign up to one of its Red 4G plans. There's a catch, though: You'll need to pick a minimum £26-per-month plan, which furnishes you with 3GB of data (although it is unlimited for the first three months). That's fine for browsing and social updates, but it's worth noting that Netflix streams consume up to 1GB per hour for SD video and up to 3GB on HD content, which could burn through your allowance in double-quick time. That isn't to say you can't utilise the free Netflix pass over a WiFi connection, but it pays to be mindful when the operator says you can "stream your favourite shows and films on the move." Vodafone will let you select Netflix as your entertainment pack of choice from between July and December, so put that upgrade on hold if you want to catch the new series of Orange Is The New Black.
EE takes on Google and Tesco with £199 own-brand 4G tablet
Something told us that when EE unveiled an own-brand 4G smartphone, a similarly-equipped tablet wouldn't be too far behind. The UK's biggest operator today confirmed it's launching a new 8-inch Android slate, it's called the Eagle and it'll set you back £199 on a pay-as-you-go tariff or £49.99 if you sign up to a £15 pay monthly plan. For that, you'll get a 1280 x 800 display, 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage and a 5-megapixel rear camera. That puts it on a level footing with Tesco's £119 Hudl, a tablet that has already enjoyed over half a million UK sales. The Eagle has an ace up its sleeve, though, offering built-in LTE connectivity that takes advantage of EE's double speed 4G network to deliver download speeds of up to 60Mbps. While it may lack the power and speedy updates that the LTE-capable Nexus 7 enjoys, EE's budget slate costs £100 less than Google's top-end tablet.
AT&T relaunches Cricket prepaid brand with nationwide 4G coverage
It's a brand new day for Cricket, AT&T's budget wireless arm. Last year, the mobile giant announced plans to acquire Leap Wireless, Cricket's parent company, and has since launched a major refresh, formally introducing the new service today. After purchasing new devices, Cricket customers will be able to access AT&T's nationwide 4G network, including LTE. All plans include unlimited domestic calling, messaging and international texting to 35 countries, and come in at $35, $45 and $55 monthly (after a $5 auto pay credit), with 500MB, 2.5GB and 5GB of data, respectively. You won't be charged for data overages -- instead, Cricket will cap your speed at 128 Kbps for the rest of the billing period.
EE's homegrown Kestrel smartphone now available for £99
EE announced at the end of March it would be taking its first stab at own-brand hardware with the Kestrel, a 4G handset for thrifty speed merchants. Well, the Android smartphone is now available to buy online or over the phone for £99 on pay-as-you-go, or from £14 per month on EE's new entry-level 4G tariffs. Aside from its price, the Kestrel has a few other things going for it, like a capable quad-core Snapdragon 400 heart and Cat 4 LTE radio which can, in theory, handle the maximum 150Mbps download speeds of EE's "Extra" plans. It's now the cheapest way to jump on EE's ever-expanding 4G network, and we have one in our possession, so keep an eye out for our full review in the near future.
EE's slow killing of Orange and T-Mobile shows it's ready to bet big on 4G
Orange, T-Mobile and EE have managed to coexist together for a number of years now, despite them all being essentially the same company, and all selling similar services. While Orange and T-Mobile used to be large, established names in their own right, 4G darling EE has understandably become by far the most prominent brand of the trio. High-street stores once coloured orange or magenta have long been redressed to EE's preference, and as of fairly recently, the online presence of the 3G-only providers has begun to be absorbed by EE. T-Mobile's site now forwards directly to ee.co.uk, and although Orange's homepage still exists, you can no longer purchase anything from it directly. Previously only of interest to "technofreaks," as Vodafone's CEO once put it, 4G is more or less mainstream. It's only a matter of time before all major networks begin to retire old 3G plans in order to structure themselves more around 4G, and in EE's case, this probably means putting Orange and T-Mobile out to pasture.
Sprint's partnering with smaller carriers for coast-to-coast LTE coverage
Instead of building its own coverage infrastructure in areas where the deer and antelope play, Sprint is teaming up with smaller carriers to create a cross-country roaming network. At its conference tomorrow, the Competitive Carrier Association (CCA) is expected to announce the launch of its Data Access Hub and a partnership with Sprint, which will create a coast-to-coast 4G network that's comprised of many smaller regional networks that are all stitched together. As CNET tells it, this could give Sprint (and possibly T-Mobile, should it join) customers access to rural data networks -- areas that are typically dead zones -- and those on the rural networks would gain access to urban LTE coverage; the street would go both ways here it seems. The CCA's president, Steve Berry, says that the reasoning behind the shift is simple: it'd take billions of dollars and several years for the Now network or the magenta carrier to build their own rural coverage areas to rival the likes of AT&T and Verizon. This move could help level the playing field for the smaller carriers, he says, and possibly provide a better experience for pretty much everyone involved. [Image credit: Rennett Stowe / Flickr]
UK's EE to launch own-brand LTE smartphone for just £100 off-contract
We got wind that EE was cooking up an own-brand smartphone for its 4G network a couple of weeks ago, and now the UK operator's ready to come clean about the device. It's called the Kestrel, and as we suspected, it'll offer the cheapest ride on EE's LTE network at £100 on pay-as-you-go (PAYG), or free from £14 per month on the new entry-level tariff, when it launches towards the end of April. Now, being £30 less on PAYG than Alcatel's One Touch Idol S (which is also free from £14 per month), a mixed-bag of specs was to be expected. On the plus side, it's packing a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 and as a Cat 4 handset, it's capable of maxing out the theoretical 150Mbps download speeds of EE's "Extra" plans. Not so enticing is the 4.5-inch qHD display (960 x 540), and beyond that, we're looking at 1GB of RAM, 8 gigs of storage (with a microSD slot for expansion), a 2,000mAh battery, 5-megapixel main camera and 1-megapixel front-facer.
EE adds new entry-level 4G tariffs starting at £14 per month
Yesterday, the cheapest way to hop on UK carrier EE's LTE network, with smartphone for keeps, would set you back £19 per month. Today, call it £14, as EE's introduced a pair of lower price tiers in its 24-month, handset-included plans. For that £14, you get 500 minutes, 500MB of data, and unlimited texts. That would've been the same as the £19 per month plan (just with half the minutes) yesterday, but today £19 gets you 1GB of data. The situation is a little different for EE's "double-speed" Extra tariffs. Nothing changes to any of the existing plans, so the new £22 per month option, which gets you 1000 minutes and 2GB of data, just sits in behind the 4GB for £27 tier. Now, these cheaper plans are going to be offset by steeper handset costs, but there are still some thrifty choices. The Alcatel One Touch Idol S is free from £14 per month, as will EE's own Kestrel when it launches, with other phones starting at £20 upfront.
UK carrier Three scraps unlimited tethering for new customers
With one hand, Three gave its subscribers a free upgrade to LTE. (Cheers, me-dears.) But with the other hand, it has apparently taken away one of the key benefits of its popular "One Plan" tariff: namely, unlimited tethering. According to Wired UK, new customers will only be able to choose from plans that offer a maximum of 2GB of tethered data -- something we're currently trying to confirm with Three's PR reps (not least because the company's site has suddenly gone down for "maintenance"). On the plus side, the network will reportedly still offer all-you-can-eat data for non-tethering purposes, if you can find a way to consume all of that allowance without the help of your laptop, and there are rumors it has also decided to make 0800 calls free from your mobile -- presumably in order to give news articles like this one a vaguely happy ending. Update: It's confirmed. Three has updated its tariffs so that now, only its highest paying customers will get unlimited mobile data. However, tethering is being widened to cover more users, but with the downside that you're getting a smaller allowance as a consequence. For instance, users on the highest tier will only be able to use 2GB of personal hotspot data before being asked to buy additional 1GB units.
Microsoft intros an LTE version of the Surface 2, arrives tomorrow for $679
As hard as it is to believe, Microsoft has until now never put out a 3G/4G Surface tablet. But we knew one would come eventually: the company said it was working on an LTE-enabled Surface 2 and indeed, the thing recently surfaced (har) in FCC documents. Now it's finally here: Microsoft just announced that the LTE Surface 2 will go on sale tomorrow, and will be compatible on AT&T's 4G network here in the US. (Fun fact: its official name is literally "Surface 2 (AT&T 4G LTE)".) All told, it'll sell for $679 with 64GB of built-in storage. That's a $130 premium over the 64GB WiFi-only model which, if you're paying attention, is the same premium you'd pay for a cellular iPad over a WiFi one (it's worth noting, however, that the 4G Surface 2 is considerably less expensive).
Sprint's latest prepaid plan offers 2.5GB of LTE data for $60
Sprint has slapped a fresh coat of paint on its prepaid mobile by rebranding Sprint As You Go to Sprint Prepaid and launching all-new plans. The carrier has more attractive pricing too, though there's a caveat. The Smart Plus LTE data plan is $10 less at $60, but the previously unlimited data is now throttled after 2.5GB like plans on Sprint's Virgin and Boost Mobile brands. If you don't need network data, the basic Smart Plan is $45 for unlimited calls and texts (plus WiFi data), a $5 drop over last year. You'll also be able to pick any device you want, as long as it's an LTE Samsung Galaxy S3, LTE Galaxy S4 mini, 3G Moto G or pre-owned Apple iPhone 4s. With T-Mobile having just doubled down on data, we're not sure how tempting that sounds -- but if Softbank gets its merger, it may soon not matter.
Audi's in-car LTE starts at $99 for six months of service and 5GB of data
Audi's been talking about its in-car LTE for awhile, but how much it'll cost hasn't been clear until now. A six-month plan with 5GB of data will run $99, while a 30-month plan with 30GB runs $499, both through AT&T. However, you'll snag half-a-year's service absolutely free should you drive off the lot in one of the new A3 sedans equipped with Audi Connect. The German automaker says it plans to roll the feature out to its entire model line this year, which should give quite a few options to choose from if you're in the market. The pricing is a bit steeper than what the outfit's offered before, but the T-Mobile plans were for 3G connectivity -- next-gen infotainment has a need for speed.
Huawei brings new super-fast LTE tech to affordable Ascend G6 smartphone and MediaPad M1 tablet (updated: hands-on)
This year's all about LTE Cat 4 for Huawei, which is why it's pushing this faster 4G technology into both the high-end market as well as the lower price points, in order to help drive its network business -- LTE Cat 4 only works if your carrier supports it, after all. At MWC, the company announced the launch of two affordable devices that will come with this 150Mbps technology: the Ascend G6 4G and the MediaPad M1. The Ascend G6 appears to share some design elements with the higher-end Ascend P6, so it looks quite pretty in the above render. It features a lesser 4.5-inch 960 x 540 LCD, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, NFC and an adequate 2,000mAh battery. The cameras are surprising nice, though: there's an 8-megapixel f/2.0 imager (with Sony's IMX134 sensor) on the back, plus a 5-megapixel front-facing counterpart with unknown aperture. This phone will first arrive in its 3G-only, 7.5mm-thick form in Q1 this year, followed by a 7.85mm-thick 4G version in April. The 8-inch MediaPad M1 tablet (pictured after the break) has a 1,280 x 800 IPS display with stereo front-facing speakers, and with the help of its 4,800mAh battery, users will be entertained by hours of movies (Huawei claims up to eight hours) on one charge. Other specs include a 1.6GHz quad-core chip, a 1-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel main camera, all tucked within a 7.9mm-thick body. Like the 3G version of the G6, the M1 will also launch in various countries in Q1 2014. Update: We've just heard that the MediaPad M1 will come with a European street price of €299, while the LTE version of the G6 smartphone will set you back €249.
FreedomPop lets you save more by paying up front for cheap cellphone service
FreedomPop has been pushing a free phone plan for the masses since last October, but it's tweaked its paid option for users who need more oomph each month. Now you can pay up front for one or two years of service for $80 or $110 respectively (that's as little as $4.58 a month). In exchange, you get unlimited talk and messaging along with 500MB of data over Sprint's dustbin-bound WiMAX network for way less than what some carriers charge for a single month. Oh, and don't worry: that free plan isn't going anywhere. While the price may sound right, FreedomPop's phone lineup hasn't exactly blown any minds. The carrier just added a $169 Samsung Galaxy S II to the mix, but the only way to use something newer is to bring it yourself. Well, that or wait a few months until FreedomPop finally jumps on the LTE phone bandwagon.
NetZero's mobile broadband now works wherever Sprint has 3G
Like the person who thinks socks with sandals is a bold fashion statement, WiMAX is a mobile technology that rarely gets invited to the cool parties anymore. NetZero, realizing that its WiMAX-powered mobile broadband needs to move with the times, signed a deal to use Sprint's 3G, and latterly 4G, to bolster -- and eventually replace -- the service. Stage one of that agreement has now gone live, enabling NetZero users to hop onto Big Yellow's EV-DO, which is more robust than Clearwire's equivalent. The only disappointment, it seems, is that you'll now have to wait until the fall before 4G services come online.
UK travellers set to get 3G and LTE services inside the Channel Tunnel
For more than a year, the Channel Tunnel (a 32-mile mile underwater tunnel connecting England and France) was regarded as French territory, as far as the mobile industry was concerned. Three major French carriers had signed deals with EuroTunnel to offer access on its networks, leaving British travellers without access. That's set to change, however, after UK providers EE and Vodafone announced they will supply 2G and 3G access to customers journeying to France from March. Both companies say 4G services are coming, but will arrive a little later down the line. While neither company has detailed the data speeds you can expect to receive as you pass under the world's busiest seaway, EE suggests you'll still be able to prepare for meetings, check your emails and watch streamed movies when its LTE service goes live in the summer.
Wilson Electronics' new 4G signal booster doesn't care about carriers
Wilson Electronics is only interested in one thing: boosting cellular signals for those starved of bars. The company's also quite fond of Vegas, and for the third year running, it has made the trip to CES with fresh hardware in tow. Previously, Wilson's boosters have been able to enhance the signal from a couple of carriers at the most, but the new DT4G doesn't care what device you're using, nor which network bills you at the end of the month -- all it cares about is making sure you've got all the 4G, 3G or 2G airwaves you need. It's touted as the very first carrier-agnostic booster, and will be ready to cling to walls "soon" for around $400.
